A dosing and/or dispensing system for use with a liquid container such as a bottle or the like for dosing and/or dispensing liquid contents from the bottle. Various different dosing and/or dispensing embodiments are disclosed which enable the liquid to be dosed or dispensed by gravity from the container.
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7. In combination:
an inverted liquid container having upper and lower ends;
said lower end of said container having a hollow throat extending downwardly therefrom;
an adapter secured to said throat of said container;
said adapter having a central opening which is in fluid communication with the interior of said throat;
said adapter having a first portion thereof which is positioned outwardly of said throat and said central opening;
said first portion of said adapter having a vent opening formed therein which is in communication with ambient air;
a normally closed valve positioned in said vent opening;
a hollow cup having upper and lower ends;
said upper end of said cup being secured to said adapter;
said cup having a valve opening formed therein above its lower end;
said cup having a central opening formed in its said lower end below said valve opening;
a lift valve, having upper and lower ends, vertically movably mounted on said lower end of said cup which is movable between upper and lower positions;
said lift valve having a valve stem which is slidably received by said central opening in said lower end of said cup;
said valve stem having a closed upper end and an open lower end;
said valve stem having a liquid passageway formed therein below its said closed upper end;
a valve on said lift valve which closes said valve opening when said lift valve is in its said lower position;
said liquid passageway being positioned below said valve opening when said lift valve is in its said lower position and which is positioned above said valve opening when said lift valve is in its said upper position;
a vent actuator operatively secured to said lift valve for movement therewith above said valve opening;
said vent actuator being movable between upper and lower positions;
said vent actuator engaging said valve to open said valve when said vent actuator is in its said upper position.
1. In combination:
an inverted liquid container having upper and lower ends;
said lower end of said container having a hollow throat extending downwardly therefrom;
an adapter secured to said throat of said container;
said adapter having a central opening which is in fluid communication with the interior of said throat;
said adapter having a first portion thereof which is positioned outwardly of said throat and said central opening;
said first portion of said adapter having a vent opening formed therein which is in communication with ambient air;
a valve means normally closing said vent opening;
a hollow cup having upper and lower ends;
said upper end of said cup being secured to said adapter;
said cup having a valve opening formed therein above its lower end;
said cup having a central opening formed in its said lower end below said valve opening;
a lift valve, having upper and lower ends, vertically movably mounted on said lower end of said cup which is movable between upper and lower positions;
said lift valve having a valve stem which is slidably received by said central opening in said lower end of said cup;
said valve stem having a closed upper end and an open lower end;
said valve stem having at least one liquid passageway formed therein below its said closed upper end;
a valve on said valve stem of said lift valve which closes said valve opening when said lift valve is in its said lower position;
said liquid passageway being positioned below said valve opening when said lift valve is in its said lower position;
said liquid passageway being positioned above said valve opening when said lift valve is in its said upper position;
a vent actuator operatively secured to said lift valve above said valve opening for movement therewith;
said vent actuator being movable between upper and lower positions;
said valve means closing said vent opening when said vent actuator is in its said lower position;
said valve means causing said vent opening to be open when said vent actuator is in its said upper position.
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This is a continuation-in-part application of Petitioner's earlier application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003, entitled A DOSING AND/OR DISPENSING SYSTEM which is a continuation-in-part application of Petitioner's earlier application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 15, 2003, entitled A DISPENSING SYSTEM which is a continuation-in-part application of Petitioner's earlier application Ser. No. 10/372,375 filed Feb. 22, 2003, entitled CLOSED LOOP DISPENSING SYSTEM, which is a continuation-in-part application of Petitioner's earlier application Ser. No. 10/074,469 filed Feb. 12, 2002 now abandoned, entitled CLOSED LOOP DISPENSING SYSTEM WITH METERING ORIFICE.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed in Petitioner's earlier application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003, relates to a dosing and/or dispensing system. The invention disclosed in Petitioner's earlier application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003, relates to a dispensing system, which may be either an open loop or closed loop dispensing system, and more particularly to a dispensing system for dispensing corrosive liquid chemicals or dangerous medical liquid products which are typically drawn from the upper end of a container, such as a bottle or the like, to a mixing machine or the like. In that invention, the container is inverted with the liquid product gravity flowing from the lower end thereof. Further, the dispensing system of that invention provides a means for venting the container during shipment or storage in those situations where the liquid within the container requires venting. In the dosing and/or dispensing system of application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003, three dosing and/or dispensing embodiments are disclosed which are ideally suited for use with portions of the invention of Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003. In the instant invention, other dosing and/or dispensing embodiments are disclosed which are ideally suited for use with portions of the invention of Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003.
2. Description of the Related Art
Corrosive liquid chemicals and dangerous medical liquid products are typically contained in a container such as a bottle or the like and are frequently dispensed therefrom to a mixing machine. Normally, a cap is placed on the bottle with a dip tube extending therefrom downwardly into the interior of the bottle for drawing the liquid upwardly thereinto. Normally, a dispensing tube extends from the cap to a mixing machine or some other piece of equipment which creates suction in the dispensing tube to draw the liquid from the interior of the bottle. In some prior art devices, when the suction or vacuum is removed from the dispensing tube, backflow may occur. Further, when the cap is removed from the bottle, backflow from the dispensing tube may also occur. Additionally, when the cap is removed from the bottle, liquid residue in the bottle may spill therefrom. Additionally, the conventional prior art systems normally do not prevent the re-use of the bottle which is prohibited in some cases. Yet another disadvantage of the prior art is that a reliable and efficient venting means for the bottle is not normally provided for relieving vacuum pressure from within the bottle. The system of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 solved the problems associated with the prior art devices or systems.
While the system of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 works extremely well when the container is in its normal upright condition, the system may not perfectly function when the container of the co-pending application is inverted. When the container or bottle of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 is inverted, the liquid in the container is drawn or discharged from the normal upper end of the container but which is the lower end of the container in the inverted position. In such a position, the venting membrane, which would normally permit ambient air to replace the liquid in the container as the liquid is discharged from the container, may become “clogged” due to the liquid coming into contact therewith and crystallizing thereon. If air is not permitted to enter the container as the liquid is drawn therefrom, a partial vacuum is created in the upper end of the inverted container which will interfere with the discharge of the liquid therefrom.
The system of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 solved the problems of the prior art and represented an improvement in the invention of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/074,469. The invention of application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003, represents an improvement over the invention described in co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375. The invention disclosed in application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003, represented an improvement over the invention disclosed in the co-pending application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003.
The system of the instant invention discloses other embodiments of the dosing and/or dispensing system of the application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003.
This invention relates to a dispensing system for use with a container, such as a bottle or the like, having an outlet opening formed in the upper end thereof. A cap is removably mounted on the container for selectively closing the outlet opening during shipment and storage. In use, the container is positioned in an inverted position. The lower end of the inverted container has a hollow throat extending downwardly therefrom which has interior and exterior surfaces. An adapter is secured to the throat of the container such as by threads, a snap-on connection or a snap-in connection. The adapter has a central opening which is in fluid communication with the interior of the throat of the container and has a laterally extending shoulder portion which is positioned laterally outwardly of the throat and the central opening. The laterally extending shoulder portion is provided with an upstanding annular ring positioned outwardly of the central opening of the adapter. The shoulder portion of the adapter has a vent opening formed therein, inwardly of the annular ring, which is in communication with ambient air. A hollow cup, having upper and lower ends, is positioned below the adapter with the upper end of the cup being secured to the adapter. The cup has a valve seat formed therein above its lower end and has a central opening in its lower end below the valve seat. A lift valve, having upper and lower ends, is vertically movably mounted on the lower end of the cup and is movable between upper and lower positions. The lift valve is provided with a valve stem which is slidably received by the central opening in the lower end of the cup. The valve stem has a closed upper end and a lower end. The valve stem has a liquid passageway formed therein below its closed upper end and has a valve on its upper end which closes the valve seat when the lift valve is in its lower position. The liquid passageway is positioned below the valve seat when the lift valve is in its lower position and which is positioned above the valve seat when the lift valve is in its upper position. A vent actuator, movable between upper and lower positions, is operatively secured to the upper end of the valve for movement therewith and is positioned above the valve seat. The vent actuator includes a vent closure member which is movably received by the vent opening. The vent closure member closes the vent opening when the vent actuator is in its lower position. The vent opening is opened when the vent actuator is in its upper position.
When the lift valve is moved to its upper position, liquid in the cup flows through the liquid passageway in the valve stem and downwardly through the valve stem and into a suitable container, bottle, etc. When the lift valve is in its upper position, the vent actuator is moved to its upper position so that the vent closure opens the vent opening to permit ambient air to enter the interior of the cup and move upwardly into the inverted liquid container. When the lift valve is returned to its lower position, the valve closes the valve seat and the vent closure closes the vent opening. The adapter may be mounted in a fixture if desired.
The instant invention involves fourth and fifth dosing and/or dispensing embodiments which may be used with portions of the invention disclosed in application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003. The first three embodiments of application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003, are illustrated in FIGS. 1-16 while FIGS. 17-21 illustrate the fourth embodiment and FIG. 22 illustrates a modification of the fourth embodiment.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an improved dosing and/or dispensing system for corrosive or dangerous liquids contained in a container such as a bottle or the like, when the container is positioned in an inverted condition.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved dosing and/or dispensing system of the type described which permits sufficient ambient air to enter the interior of the container to replace the liquid being dispensed therefrom so that a vapor lock is prevented.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a dosing and/or dispensing system which is safe and convenient to use.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide dosing and/or dispensing systems representing an improvement in the prior art.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a dosing and/or dispensing system which is reliable in use.
These and other objects will be obvious to those skilled in the art.
In
The numeral 16 refers to a throat plug assembly which will be described as it is positioned when the container 10 is in the inverted position. The throat plug assembly 16 is inserted into the hollow throat portion 12 of the container 10 while the container 10 is in its upright position. For purposes of description, throat plug assembly 16 will be described as including an upper end 18 and a lower end 20. The lower end 20 of the throat plug assembly 16 includes a hollow cylindrical plug member 22 having an open upper end 24, an open lower end 26, and a cylindrical wall portion 28 extending therebetween. A disk-like tube support 30 is detachably mounted on the upper end of the cylindrical wall portion 28, preferably by means of a snap-fit connection. Tube support 30 includes a tube 32 having a lower end portion 34 and an upper end portion 36. As seen in the drawings, lower end portion 34 extends downwardly from tube support 30 and upper end portion 36 extends upwardly from tube support 30. In some cases, upper end portion 36 will not be needed. In some cases, a flexible tube (not shown) will be secured to the upper end of upper tube portion 36 so as to extend upwardly into the container 10, if so required. As seen in
The lower end of the plug member 22 defines a centrally located opening which defines a valve seat 40. The lower end of plug member 22 also has an outwardly extending lip portion 42 which is designed to engage the upper end of the container 10, as seen in
The numeral 44 refers generally to a valve means which is movably positioned within the plug member 22 and which includes a normally closed valve 46 and a hollow valve stem 48 extending upwardly therefrom. Valve stem 48 includes one or more passageways 50 extending therethrough. Valve 46 includes a tapered portion 52 at its lower end which terminates in a lower end portion 54. In those cases where the container contains liquids requiring venting during storage or shipment, the lower end portion 54 will protrude slightly downwardly from the lower end of plug member 22, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Valve stem 48 slidably receives the lower end of lower end portion 34 of tube 32, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Spring 56 embraces valve stem 48 and lower end portion 34 to yieldably urge valve 46 to its lower closed position.
A lower fixture 80 is positioned below the shelf and within the shelf 60, as illustrated in
When the container 10 is being used to store, transport or dispense liquids which require venting during the shipment or storage thereof, the container 10 will include a vented cap 88 having a vent opening 90 formed therein, the lower end of which is closed by a membrane 92 which permits air to pass therethrough but does not pass liquid to pass therethrough. When the cap 88 is screwed onto the container 10, the membrane 92 will engage the end 54 of valve 46 to slightly open valve 46, as illustrated in
When it is desired to dispense the liquid from the container 10 into a receptacle, tub, container, etc., the valve 86 is opened to permit liquid to flow through the passageways 94, passageways 50, and through the valve seat 52, through the fixture 64, through fixture 80, and outwardly through the valve 86. Air is permitted to enter the interior of the container 10 to prevent air locks therein during the dispensing of liquids by permitting ambient air to pass downwardly through the passageways 72 in stub 70, thence through passageways 94, passageways 50, and upwardly through the passageway 36 and also through the tube 32 into the interior of the container. Although it is preferred that all of the passageways 50, 94 and 38 be utilized, in some situations it may be only necessary to use the passageways 38 or it may only be necessary to utilize the passageways 94 or it may be only necessary to utilize the passageways 50. If the liquid is very viscous, it may be advantageous to insert a flexible tube onto the upper end of upper end portion 36 so that air passing through the tube 32 will be able to pass through the viscous liquid to the upper end of the container.
Thus the dispensing system of
The numeral 118 refers to a valve actuator assembly which is selectively vertically and rotatably mounted in housing 102 and which extends upwardly through reservoir 80. Assembly 118 includes a disc-shaped member 120 which movably sealably engages the inside surface of wall 106. A hollow tube 122 extends upwardly from member 120 and has one or more openings 124 formed in the wall surface thereof. The inner lower end of tube 122 is in fluid communication with tube 126 which extends downwardly from member 120. Normally, a bottle or the like will be secured to tube 126 to facilitate the flow of liquid from the container into the bottle or the like. However, the tube 126 itself may be used to transfer the fluid into any suitable receptacle. Actuator stem 128 extends upwardly from the upper end of tube 122 through reservoir 80 for selective engagement with the valve 46 to open the same. Lever 130 is secured to the member 120 and extends outwardly through the cam track 108. Preferably, the outer end of the lever 130 has a knob 132 mounted thereon.
When lever 130 is at the lower end 110 of the cam track 108, the valve 46 is in its fully closed position (FIG. 12). To open valve 46, the lever 130 is moved upwardly along the cam track 108 which causes the actuator stem 128 to move upwardly into engagement with the valve 46 to move the same upwardly to open the same. The lever 130 is selectively rotated to achieve the desired flow rate. When the lever 130 is at the lower end 110 of the cam track 108, the container may be removed from the fixture to replace the same since the valve 46 is in its normally closed position of FIG. 12. The container may be screwed onto the fixture, snapped onto the fixture, or lever locked onto the fixture as desired.
Valve actuator 202 includes a valve member 218 at the upper end of the tubular portion 220, as seen in FIG. 14. Rod 222 is provided at the upper end of actuator 202 for engagement with the valve 46. When the valve actuator 202 is in its lower position, as seen in
Assuming that the reservoir 80′ is full with the predetermined volume of liquid and it is desired to dispense the same therefrom into a bottle or the like, the open upper end of the bottle is positioned so that the open lower end of tubular portion 206 is received thereby. Upward movement of the member 208 causes valve 218 to seal or close the lower end of valve seat 40, thereby preventing additional liquid from the inverted container from passing downwardly into the reservoir 80′. At the same time, the liquid in the reservoir 80′ may flow therefrom through the opening(s) 214 into and through passageway 210 and into the bottle.
When the predetermined liquid dose has been discharged into the receiving bottle, the member 208 is lowered until shoulder 216 engages the bottom of reservoir 80′, which seals opening(s) 214. At that time, liquid from the inverted container can then flow around valve 46 into the reservoir for the next dispensing sequence.
Another dosing dispenser embodiment is illustrated in
When it is desired to fill a bottle or the like with the liquid from the inverted container, the bottle is placed beneath the lift lever 318 and then raised so that rod 320 raises and unseats valve 46 to enable liquid from the container to flow around valve 46, into reservoir 80, through opening(s) 312 which are now exposed above ring block 304, and downwardly through the passageway 322 into the bottle. The bottle is lowered and removed when the desired liquid level in the bottle has been received. As the bottle is lowered, the lift valve 312 seats upon ring block 304 to prevent further liquid from passing through opening 306. Lowering of the lift lever 318 also causes valve 46 to again close.
Although the invention described above is ideally suited for use with a container mounted on a fixture, the invention thereof may be associated with a container which is not mounted on a fixture but which is portable so that the container may be carried from one location to another for use at those locations.
Referring now to the dosing and/or dispensing system or assembly illustrated in
Assembly 400 includes an adapter 402 which is mounted on the container 10 through a threaded connection, a snap-in connection or a snap-on connection. In the embodiment shown in
The numeral 418 designates a hollow cup having its upper end secured to base 406 by any convenient means. Preferably, an O-ring seal 420 is positioned between the upper flanged end of cup 418 and base 406, as seen in FIG. 19. The lower end 422 of cup 418 defines a central opening 424 having a valve seat or valve opening 426 at its upper end. The lower end 422 of cup 418 is also provided with an annular cut-out area 428 which receives the upper end of a spring 430.
A lift valve 432 is selectively movably mounted, between upper and lower positions, on the lower end 422 of cup 418 and is yieldably maintained in its lower position by the spring 430. Lift valve 432 includes a stem portion 434 having an open end 436 and a closed upper end 438. One or more passageways 440 are formed in stem portion 434 below the upper end thereof (FIG. 19). Valve actuator 442 is mounted on the upper end 438 of stem portion 434 and has a valve 444 at its lower end which seats upon and closes valve seat or opening 426 when lift valve 432 is in its lower position. As seen in the drawings, valve actuator 442 includes a tubular portion 446 at its upper end having a shoulder 448 formed therein.
Vent actuator 450 is movably positioned within cup 418 and has a hollow tubular portion 452 slidably mounted on tubular portion 446. Tubular portion 452 is provided with an inwardly presented shoulder 454 which is adapted to engage shoulder 448 at times, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. Vent actuator 450 includes a vent closure member 456 which is received by vent opening 416 to close the same when lift valve 432 is in its lower position (FIG. 19). When lift valve 432 is in its upper (open) position of
Assuming that adapter 402 has been mounted on the liquid container 10, the container 10 may be inverted without fear that liquid will escape from the container 10 by way of the assembly 400. Liquid from the container 10 will fill the interior of the hollow cup 418 but cannot escape through either the valve seat 426 or the opening 416. Liquid cannot escape from the lower end of the assembly 400 since valve 444 is seated upon and closes valve seat 426 due to the action of spring 430. Liquid cannot escape from vent opening 416 since vent closure member 456 is sealably engaged within opening 416, as seen in FIG. 19.
When it is desired to dispense or dose liquid from the assembly 400, a suitable receptacle such as a bottle or the like is positioned below lift valve 432 so that the open lower end 436 of lift valve 432 is in communication with the bottle. Upward movement of the lift valve 432 against the action of spring 430 causes valve 444 to move upwardly from sealing engagement with valve seat 426 until such time as the openings 440 are positioned above the valve seat 426 at which time the liquid will flow from the interior of the cup 418 into the interior of the stem portion 434 by way of the openings 440.
During the initial upward movement of the lift valve 432, the vent actuator 450 remains in place until the upper end of valve 444 engages the lower end of tubular portion 52 with further upward movement of the lift valve 432 causing the vent actuator 450 to be moved upwardly to cause the vent closure member 456 to move out of the opening 416 to enable ambient air to enter the interior of the cup and then pass upwardly into the container to prevent a vapor lock within the container 10.
When the desired amount of liquid has been dosed or dispensed from the container, the bottle or the like receiving the liquid is moved downwardly so that lift valve 432 may return to its normally lower position. During the initial downward movement of the lift valve 432, the vent actuator 450 remains in position until the shoulder 448 on tubular portion 446 engages the shoulder 454 on tubular portion 452 at which time the continued downward movement of the lift valve 432 will cause vent actuator 450 to move downwardly so that vent closure member 456 again closes vent opening 416.
Although the vent closure member 456 satisfactorily closes and opens the vent opening 416, a normally closed, spring-loaded poppet valve 500 may be installed in the opening 416′, as illustrated in FIG. 22. As seen in
Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.
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